3-year-old who fell into gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo is ‘doing well’

Thane Maynard, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, speaks to reporters two days after a boy tumbled into a moat and officials were forced to kill Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla, in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. May 30, 2016. (William Philpott/Reuters)

A June 20, 2015 photo provided by the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden shows Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, who was fatally shot Saturday, May 28, 2016, to protect a 4-year-old boy who had entered its exhibit. (Jeff McCurry/Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden/The Cincinatti Enquirer/AP)

Flowers lay around a bronze statue of a gorilla and her baby outside the Cincinnati Zoo's Gorilla World exhibit, two days after a boy tumbled into its moat and officials were forced to kill Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla, in Cincinnati, May 30, 2016. (William Philpott/Reuters)

Children pause at the feet of a gorilla statue where flowers and a sympathy card have been placed, outside the Gorilla World exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Cincinnati. On Saturday, a special zoo response team shot and killed Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla, that grabbed and dragged a 4-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla exhibit moat. Authorities said the boy is expected to recover. He was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

CINCINNATI — The family of a 3-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, prompting the killing of the endangered animal in order to rescue the child, said on Wednesday the boy is doing well and suggested donations in the gorilla’s name.

The family, whose name has not been released by police, said it had been offered money, without specifying what the funds were intended for, but said it would not accept financial gifts.

“If anyone wishes to make a gift, we recommend a donation to the Cincinnati Zoo in Harambe’s name,” the family said in a statement distributed by a spokeswoman.

Harambe, a 17-year-old, 450-pound (200-kg) Western lowland silverback gorilla, was shot by officials after the boy fell into its enclosure on Saturday.

Police are investigating to determine if charges should be filed against the child’s parents. After concluding its investigation, Cincinnati police will confer with prosecutors on possible criminal charges, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said in a statement.

The family declined to comment about the investigation.

Witnesses said the boy had expressed a desire to get into the enclosure and climbed over a 3-foot (1-meter) barrier, falling 15 feet (4.6 m) into a moat. Zookeepers shot the gorilla after he violently dragged and tossed the child.

The boy’s mother previously said on Facebook that he suffered a concussion and scrapes but was otherwise fine. In its statement on Wednesday, the family said, “Our child has had a checkup by his doctor and is still doing well. We continue to praise God for His grace and mercy, and to be thankful to the Cincinnati Zoo for their actions taken to protect our child.”

Mounting outrage over Saturday’s killing of Harambe sparked criticism of both the zoo and the child’s parents. Online petitions at change.org drew more than 676,000 signatures demanding “Justice for Harambe.”

The death of the gorilla also prompted the animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now to file a negligence complaint on Tuesday against the zoo with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The group is seeking the maximum penalty of $10,000.